I have been reading up on Native American/Canadian names. They usually have such great meanings. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you know any? I’d love to hear them. Which ones do you like best (from my list or your own)? [name_f]My[/name_f] favourites :
[name_f]Aiyana[/name_f] - [name_f]Eternal[/name_f] blossom
Angeni - [name_f]Spirit[/name_f]
Ayita - First to dance
[name_u]Dakota[/name_u] - [name_m]Friend[/name_m]/ally
Genesee - Pleasant valley
Leotie - [name_f]Flower[/name_f] of the prairie
Magena - [name_f]Moon[/name_f]
[name_u]Mika[/name_u] - Beautiful smell (though another site said little raccoon?)
[name_f]Nadie[/name_f] - Wise
[name_f]Pavati[/name_f] - Clear water
Rozene - [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
Talulah - Leaping water
Tiva - Dance
Wyanet - Beautiful
Oh, I just found a list of Native American names on Nameberry!
Of the girl names, I like :
[name_f]Dyani[/name_f]
[name_f]Kateri[/name_f] (though I think this one is too associated to Blessed [name_f]Kateri[/name_f] Teckakwitha)
[name_f]Kaya[/name_f]
[name_u]Lakota[/name_u]
[name_f]Nascha[/name_f]
I hope you don’t see this as being rude, but most of these aren’t real Native American names. [name_f]Aiyana[/name_f] is most likely a variant of a (masculine) Ethiopian or (feminine?) Hindi name, but it most certainly isn’t Native.
Ayita isn’t Native either (or at least not Cherokee for “first to dance”) but it’s the name of a Nigerian dance at least.
[name_u]Mika[/name_u] just means “raccoon” in Osage and Omaha-Ponca.
[name_f]Nadie[/name_f] is just a nickname for [name_f]Nadine[/name_f], and has no roots whatsoever in Native language.
[name_u]Dakota[/name_u] is not a name. It’s a plural word meaning “the allies” and would be the equivalent of naming your son or daughter Frenchmen or Canadians. It’s not culturally appropriate to call your child this, and so no tribal people name their children this.
I don’t know about [name_f]Pavati[/name_f], but [name_f]Parvati[/name_f] is supposedly Sanskrit.
I can’t say for the other ones though, but most of these just don’t look right at all to me. Sorry :(. Maybe Dantea can shed some light on this? Who knows? I’m not an expert, after all :D! Nonetheless, they all sound very pretty and Native names are such a fun subject to discuss!
Oh no, I don’t see it as being rude at all! This is exactly why I made this thread. I know nothing about Native names except what I’ve read on them, so I wanted peoples’ opinions/thoughts on them. Clearly you can’t believe everything you read on the internet
Would you mind sharing some actual Native names, if you have any? I’d love to hear more about Native American names and learn! Thank you so much for replying, @Alexandrianscrolls!
[name_f]My[/name_f] partner Grandparents given names are Matchitehew ( bad heart) , Chepi (fairy) , Hurritt (Handsome). Nijloin (Mistress), they are all Algonquian given names I have a huge list of others if this is what you are looking for. The Algonquian language is still spoken here where I live and I am getting better at it being my 5 language it is so different the the first 4.
@Canadianmom3plus2, I would love to hear more names! If you’re up to it, maybe you could share your favourites? I love your children’s middle names, by the way
[name_f]My[/name_f] first 3 girls are adopted and came with there names so we are keeping the tradition of a nature middle name with our bio children… my first girls are from the shuswap nation in BC.
Girls names that made are short list before we decide to go Finnish
Wawetseka means pretty girl
Nuttah means my heart
Kanti means song
for boy
Aranck means [name_f]Star[/name_f]
Keme means Thunder ( and why we picked [name_u]Storm[/name_u] as Teemu middle name )
Togquos means Twin
@Canadianmom3plus2, thank you! That’s actually one of the sites I checked out, but according to Alexandrianscrolls, some of the names + meaning aren’t true It’s a great list though!
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] – first born daughter; [name_f]Sioux[/name_f]
[name_f]Yona[/name_f] – bear; Cherokee
[name_f]Zaltana[/name_f] – high mountain; ?
I think that (at least for me anyways) most people who’ve shared an interest in Native names have fallen in love with some that weren’t really Native or didn’t have the meaning they assumed they did. I’ve removed plenty of names from my list (including the beautiful [name_f]Aiyana[/name_f] :() because of this. There’s just so little information out there, and what’s there tends to be false or romanticized. Dantea has done a post or two on Cherokee and Choctaw names. The good news is many “Native” names may not have real tribal ties, but many have etymology somewhere! Maybe you could still use them in that case. I think I still have some more Native names listed somewhere…
This is a good resource for people interested in Native names that want to stay as accurate as possible:
I agree with alexandrianscrolls! Names in Native American culture have a lot of tradition, spirituality, and ceremony that goes along with them.
I received my Ojibwe name at ceremony a couple years ago: Miskwaadesiikwe
Misko: red
Miskwaadesi: painted turtle
Miskwaa: it is red
ikwe: female gender marker
In the Ojibwe culture, your given name is supposed to help heal you and guide you. [name_f]My[/name_f] teacher actually often tells a joke about them, “In lots of cultures, having names means you’re more important. For the Anishinaabe it just means you’ve needed more help.” You’re supposed to constantly learn from and honor your name. Mine has definitely taught me some life lessons!
That link was very useful! Thank you! Unfortunately, many of my favourite “Native” names aren’t actually Native. Very good to know! Leotie, [name_u]Mika[/name_u] and [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] were on my list as well - I’d need to research them more, though, to confirm that they’re actually Native.
I love this topic. [name_f]My[/name_f] daughter’s name is going to be Kimimela shortened to [name_f]Kimi[/name_f]. You do need to be somewhat careful about ‘Native’ names because, as has already been discussed, there are a lot of inaccuracies floating around. I personally wouldn’t use any name claiming to be of Native American origin unless you can either pull it out of a Native language dictionary or have it verified by someone you can trust. (Assuming it’s really important to you that it be linguistically accurate. Nothing wrong with just liking a name for the heck of it. I have a soft spot for Miakoda, even though it pretty much doesn’t mean anything.)
[name_f]My[/name_f] Ojibwe name that was given to me in ceremony is Miskwaadesiikwe. It translates to “turtle woman”, “painted turtle woman”, “red turtle”.
miskwaadesi: a painted turtle
ikwe: female gender marker
misko: red
I agree with alexandrianscrolls. Using names like [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] or [name_u]Lakota[/name_u], while pretty, really aren’t appropriate. They refer to a people, their customs, culture, and language. On the other hand, I’ve met people with the name [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] before, and I understand that people draw different meanings from names all the time. But it’s just good to keep in mind that a name like [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] or [name_u]Lakota[/name_u] could be offensive to someone, somewhere.
When you’re given a name in the Ojibwe culture, it’s not as simple as thinking “I think [name_f]Anna[/name_f] is a really pretty name; I’ll go with that one.” It’s a name that is interpreted from nature and spirits that present themselves to your namer. When it’s given to you, you’re taught to honor it and that you will learn from it your entire life. The biggest change “Miskwaadesiikwe” has made in my life is making me slow down. I was also taught that those who bear turtle names or come from turtle clans are meant to serve others with their lives, which has meant a lot to me.
Sorry if that was a rant. I just think naming in the Ojibwe culture, and in many other tribes, is a really beautiful and meaningful tradition. I like sharing about it!
Sad case in point: I briefly considered [name_f]Kimana[/name_f] as a shorter, slightly more manageable substitute for my favorite. But it does not mean ‘butterfly’ in Shoshone - not even close. The Shoshone word for butterfly is Aipputoonkih! Probably someone saw Kimama, a dialectal variant of the Sioux word for butterfly, and replaced the M with an N. No idea where Shoshone came in. So now I’m back to Kimimela, which I love anyway and I know it’s accurate.
But yeah, be careful and do your homework thoroughly before you sign any birth certificates, especially if your source is a baby name book or website. Actually, do yourself (and your baby) a favor if you really have your heart set on a Native American based name: invest in a good dictionary or textbook of a Native language. If there’s a Native American name that you love and you can’t confirm it using a dictionary of the language it is supposed to come from, consult a linguist or a professor or another knowledgeable person qualified to tell you. It is so much better than finding out ten years later that the name is a complete fake, or worse, means something embarrassing in that language. There are so many mistranslations and outright fraudulent names that you just can’t be too cautious. I don’t know why precisely, but it seems that this is the case with Native American baby names more often than names from other cultures and ethnic groups
and Native names are such a fun subject to discuss! 
It’s a great list though!
Probably someone saw Kimama, a dialectal variant of the Sioux word for butterfly, and replaced the M with an N. No idea where Shoshone came in. So now I’m back to Kimimela, which I love anyway and I know it’s accurate.